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EnglandHistory

The Elizabethan Age, 1558 to 1603

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did Elizabeth I establish and run her court and government after 1558?

Elizabeth's character and aims as queen, the structure of her court and government (the Privy Council, ministers such as William Cecil and Robert Dudley, Parliament and the role of patronage), and the problems she faced as a new and female monarch in 1558.
A focused answer to Elizabeth's court and government in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering her character and aims, the Privy Council and ministers such as Cecil and Dudley, the role of patronage and Parliament, and the problems she faced as a new female monarch in 1558.
14 min answer →

Why is the Elizabethan period called a 'golden age', and what was life really like?

Everyday life in Elizabethan England including the gap between rich and poor, the problem of poverty and the Poor Laws, the flourishing of the theatre, and the voyages of exploration that made the age a 'golden age'.
A focused answer to everyday life and the golden age in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering the gap between rich and poor, Elizabethan poverty and the Poor Laws, the rise of the theatre, and the great voyages of exploration.
14 min answer →

Why was Mary Queen of Scots such a danger to Elizabeth, and why was she executed in 1587?

Why Mary Queen of Scots threatened Elizabeth, her flight to England in 1568, the major Catholic plots (Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington), the role of Walsingham's spy network, and the reasons for and consequences of Mary's execution in 1587.
A focused answer to Mary Queen of Scots and the Catholic plots in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering why Mary threatened Elizabeth, her 1568 flight to England, the Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington plots, Walsingham's spy network, and Mary's execution in 1587.
14 min answer →

How serious were the Catholic and Puritan challenges to Elizabeth's Church?

The growth of the Catholic threat after the excommunication of 1570, the recusants, missionary priests and the Jesuits, the government's response, and the nature of the Puritan challenge to the religious settlement.
A focused answer to the Catholic and Puritan challenges to Elizabeth's Church in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering the 1570 excommunication, recusants, seminary priests and Jesuits, the government's response, and the Puritan demands for further reform.
14 min answer →

How did Elizabeth I try to settle the religious divisions she inherited in 1559?

The religious situation Elizabeth inherited in 1558, the terms of the 1559 Religious Settlement (the Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity), the via media or 'middle way', and how far the settlement satisfied Catholics and Puritans.
A focused answer to the 1559 Religious Settlement in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering the divided inheritance of 1558, the Act of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity, Elizabeth's via media or middle way, and how far the settlement satisfied Catholics and Puritans.
14 min answer →

Why did Philip II launch the Spanish Armada in 1588, and why did it fail?

The causes of the war with Spain and the reasons Philip II launched the Armada in 1588, the events of the campaign in the Channel, the reasons for the English victory and the Spanish defeat, and the consequences and significance of the Armada.
A focused answer to the Spanish Armada in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering the causes of the war with Spain, why Philip II attacked in 1588, the events in the Channel, the reasons for the English victory and Spanish defeat, and the significance of the campaign.
14 min answer →